SHARED RESOURCE CORE - NANOPARTICLE SYNTHESIS & CHARACTERIZATION CORE (CORE A) Project Abstract/Summary The vision of MC2TCN is to advance, translate, and disseminate a suite of ultrasmall (<10 nm) silica-organic hybrid nanoparticles for theranostics applications in oncology. In order to support the proposed research to achieve this overarching goal, the Shared Resources Core (SRC) on Nanoparticle Synthesis and Characterization (Core-A) will provide for particle synthesis and characterization investigations of clinical-grade C' dots and C rings with particle sizes below 10 nm. Particular focus of this Core will be to provide instrumentation and expertise in the analysis of heterogeneities in particle size and particle surface chemistry enabling studies in the Center on how these heterogeneities modulate pharmacokinetics (PK), clearance profiles, and target-to-background ratios, a key issue of nanomaterials in medicine but usually challenging to address. This will be accomplished by (1) addition of a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system with particle specific detection equipment for particle separations based on surface chemistry, (2) addition of a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) system for particle separation based on particle size, (3) acquisition of lasers for optical experiments tuned to the absorption characteristics of dyes encapsulated into the various optical nanoparticles. Other equipment needed to synthesize and characterize Center-wide used nanoparticles already exist in the space at Cornell, where the Core will be located, and includes hood space, a glove box, a zeta-sizer, and dynamic light scattering. This core will serve all research projects (RP1-4) of the Center.